Job prospects Senior Bookkeeper in Nova Scotia

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "senior bookkeeper" in Nova Scotia or across Canada.

Job opportunities in Nova Scotia

These outlooks were updated on December 11, 2024.

Prospects over the next 3 years

The employment outlook will be moderate for Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC 12200) in Nova Scotia for the 2024-2026 period.

The following factors contributed to this outlook:

• Employment growth will lead to a moderate number of new positions.
• Several positions will become available due to retirements.
• There are a moderate number of unemployed workers with recent experience in this occupation.
• Recent graduates from fields of study related to this occupation have found it difficult to find work.

This is a fairly large occupation, and so staff replacement generates a lot of the vacancies.

There has been a strong supply of applicants in the Halifax region, resulting in more difficulty among jobseekers in finding work and an increase the number of openings that are only part-time in nature.

Candidates with two or more years of experience or specific technical skills will find employment with greater ease than recent graduates of post-secondary programs. Training is sometimes offered by employers to candidates with strong soft skills.

Workers need to be versed in modern software accounting applications, and many positions now require workers to combine bookkeeping with other duties. There are also opportunities for persons in this occupation to be self-employed.

Here are some key facts about Accounting technicians and bookkeepers in Nova Scotia:

• Approximately 4,050 people work in this occupation.
• Accounting technicians and bookkeepers mainly work in the following sectors:
  • Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services (NAICS 5412): 26%
  • Construction (NAICS 23): 12%
  • Other retail stores (NAICS 44-45, except 445): 9%
  • Real Estate and rental and leasing (NAICS 53): 6%
• The distribution of full-time and part-time workers in this occupation is:
  • Full-time workers: 67% compared to 82% for all occupations
  • Part-time workers: 33% compared to 18% for all occupations
• 68% of accounting technicians and bookkeepers work all year, while 32% work only part of the year, compared to 62% and 38% respectively among all occupations. Those who worked only part of the year did so for an average of 43 weeks compared to 42 weeks for all occupations.
• 27% of accounting technicians and bookkeepers are self-employed compared to an average of 11% for all occupations.
• The gender distribution of people in this occupation is:
  • Men: 15% compared to 51% for all occupations
  • Women: 85% compared to 49% for all occupations
• The educational attainment of workers in this occupation is:
  • no high school diploma: less than 5% compared to 10% for all occupations
  • high school diploma or equivalent: 23% compared to 27% for all occupations
  • apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma: 13% compared to 12% for all occupations
  • college certificate or diploma or university certificate below bachelor's: 37% compared to 22% for all occupations
  • bachelor's degree: 20% compared to 20% for all occupations
  • university certificate, degree or diploma above bachelor level: less than 5% compared to 10% for all occupations

Breakdown by region

Explore job prospects in Nova Scotia by economic region.

Source Labour Market Information | Prospects Methodology

Job prospects elsewhere in Canada

Explore current and future job prospects for people working as a "senior bookkeeper" Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC 12200) or across Canada.

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